Pubdate: Mon, 10 Jun 2013
Source: Washington Examiner (DC)
Copyright: 2013 Washington Examiner
Contact:  http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3788
Author: Gregory Kane
Note: Washington Examiner Columnist Gregory Kane is a 
Pulitzer-nominated news and opinion journalist who has covered people 
and politics from Baltimore to the Sudan.

ANOTHER REASON TO END THE WAR ON DRUGS

Courtesy of the American Civil Liberties Union, we now know that 
there's a racial disparity in marijuana arrests. The ACLU released 
the results of its study last week. According to U.S. News & World 
Report, "the study showed that in 2010 black Americans were around 
four times more likely to be busted for pot." The story had other 
revelations. "Data gleaned from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 
statistics and U.S. Census numbers show that every state except 
Hawaii had a higher per capita marijuana arrest rate for blacks than 
for whites, and the disparity appears to be growing in most states. 
The gap between black and white arrest rates grew in 38 states and 
the nation's capital between 2001 and 2010."

And yes, there are studies that show black Americans use marijuana 
less than white Americans do. It appears that, when it comes to law 
enforcement, the focus seems to be on arresting black Americans, at 
least for marijuana possession.

So we now know there is yet another downside to what should be 
derisively called "the war on drugs." Civil liberties have already 
taken a hit in this so-called war. Now, it appears, so has the notion 
of racial equality.

If this revelation doesn't sour us on "the war on drugs," I don't 
know what will or can. My disillusionment with the "war on drugs" 
came five years ago, after that incident involving marijuana and the 
mayor of Berwyn Heights, Md.

You might not remember that incident, but I'm sure Cheye Calvo does. 
He was the mayor of Berwyn Heights at the time.

The town is located in Prince George's County, the overwhelmingly 
Democratic, liberal one. But Prince George's County being 
overwhelmingly liberal and Democratic didn't help Calvo the day 
members of Prince George's County Sheriff's Office made a raid on his 
home, looking for marijuana.

It didn't help Calvo's mother-inlaw, who ended up lying face down 
while law enforcement officials searched the home.

And it sure as heck didn't help Calvo's two black Labrador 
retrievers, who were shot to death after a SWAT team barged into the 
Calvo abode.

Marijuana was recovered, but the Calvos were completely innocent. It 
transpired that two miscreants came up with a scheme to have a stash 
of marijuana delivered to a certain address.

One of the miscreants would then retrieve the marijuana, unbeknown to 
the people who lived at the address.

So the Calvos were terrorized and their dogs killed for someone 
else's crime. After the incident occurred, there were all kinds of 
questions raised. One of them was this:

Was it necessary for a SWAT team to kick in the door of the Calvo 
home and kill two dogs? Couldn't the search of the home for the 
illegal drugs have been made after law enforcement officers knocked 
on the door, as a Supreme Court ruling said should be the standard?

I called law enforcement officials in Prince George's County back in 
2008 and asked precisely that question. I was told the matter was 
"under investigation."

Those in the journalism profession know that when law enforcement 
types tell us something is "under investigation," what they really 
mean is this: We aren't going to tell you, ever, and have no 
intention of doing so.

What was the result of the raid on the Calvo home? Some marijuana was 
indeed recovered. But you can bet that everyone in Berwyn Heights, 
Prince George's County, the state of Maryland and the entire USA who 
wanted to smoke a joint that night, smoked a joint that night.

The same is true of all those states arresting blacks in 
disproportionate numbers for marijuana possession: No matter how many 
African-Americans are locked up, everybody wanting to smoke a joint 
will smoke a joint.

Who's really winning the war on drugs?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom